The Most Successful Snooker Player Of All Time

Hands down and without a doubt, Scotsman Stephen Hendry is the most successful snooker player of all time.

He turned professional before he even learned to drive, at age 16, 32 years ago in 1985, becoming the youngest ever player to do so. It seems like an age ago when the now 48 year old Hendry won his first World Championship at the tender age of 21 in 1990, when he beat the legendary Jimmy White by a comfortable 18 frames to 12. That win propelled him to stardom and sent him to the top of the world rankings, a position he was to hold for eight long years in his career. He had another two year stint at the top between 2006 and 2007. He won a record number of World Championships, with seven trophy hauls.

In Century breaks, which means going from zero points in a frame to 100 points without dropping a shot, he garnered an impressive total of 775, coming second only to another great player – Ronnie O Sullivan.

Hendry was a quiet man and when he was younger many people thought him sullen and withdrawn, but as the years went on, he warmed up in the spotlight somewhat and eventually won over the public in various television show appearances and interviews.

Some label him to be a boring player, but he certainly gets the job done, having racked up an incredible 36 career ranking tournament victories. He was always known to remain calm under pressure and often fought back to win matches that many thought he had no chance of clawing himself back into.

He retired aged 43 in 2012 and has since then led a quiet life. In 2011, he was inducted into the Snooker Hall of Fame, an achievement that no one can deny him.